The present invention relates to a closable radiator grid for an armored vehicle, which comprises two frames one of which has a series of parallel plates and one frame is displaceable with respect to the other in a partial plane transverse to the direction of the plates.
In armored vehicles, the air intake for the cooling and exhaust air is generally arranged on the top of the tank. Upon the introduction into cooling water from a source in the case of a floatable armored vehicle, also by the action of a wave, the cooling air intake is overflooded. Since such quantities can no longer be controlled by the bilge pump, the grid protecting the air intake (also by bombardment) must be previously closed.
A radiator grid of this type, while not specifically for armored vehicles, is known from Federal Republic of Germany Utility Model 74 21 585. By displacement of the one frame, the plates of the two frames can be brought together, corresponding to the opened state. In this way, the free passage cross section is at most half the surface of the frame. Since the grid must also be tight in closed state, an overlap is necessary as a result of which less than half the surface is available in open state. Since a considerable throttling action is also obtained, the cooling-air passage is severely limited.
Furthermore, in the case of armored vehicles ballistic protection is also necessary, which does not permit a grid which can be screwed through, there is furthermore desired a lower structural height, for which reason also known flaps which aside from their poor sealing are also not suitable.